


marching to a different beat

by suludemora



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Gen, Modern Fantasy AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-02 07:55:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4052326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suludemora/pseuds/suludemora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of modern fantasy au Fire Emblem Tellius drabbles, because I can't shake off the idea of mages on the internet and cavaliers switching between horses and motorcycles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Release Date (Soren, Ike)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soren loves when technology fits in perfectly with strategy. What he doesn't love is when it comes in the distracting form of brand-new popular video games.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern fantasy fascinates me, and what better subject to try it on than Fire Emblem? I have no idea how often I'll write more for this, but I will. Pairings will most likely be added and changed, so keep an eye out for that.

It was Soren's worst nightmare.

He couldn't feel the ground under his feet anymore. The physical world was slipping away. He was being pulled out of reality, sucked into an existence separated from time and, most importantly, efficiency.

Or at least, that was what it felt like when the tactician exited his tent in the morning to find what looked like the entire army up and huddled in circles, playing the brand-new video game for that portable console Soren never bothered to learn the name of.

He had done everything he could think of to move the group as far away from any large cities as possible to lower the chances of the mercenaries finding copies of the game before the war was over. Someone must have sneaked away last night. Aimee, most likely. He'd have to find an excuse to limit her movements more carefully, which was difficult enough as he didn't have any real authority over her. What little influence he did have was indirect, and it was through Ike.

Ike. He had to find Ike. At this point, the mercenaries would only answer to their leader. Soren picked his way through the clusters of soldiers, picking up a few snippets of conversation as he did.

“Rolf, that is so not fair, how did you get that one? It's sooo rare and we've only been playing for two hours!” came Boyd's annoyed voice. Soren concentrated all his displeasure in his glare. Oscar smiled sheepishly before turning back to the large book in his lap, which was most likely the game's official guidebook.

Shinon and Gatrie were sitting opposite each other, their consoles raised so that the screens were hidden from the other. If Soren had to guess, the two were engaged in a multiplayer battle with severely underleveled characters. Shinon was getting increasingly more annoyed, while Gatrie was letting out a constant stream of profanities. Honestly, Soren couldn't tell if they were fighting each other or together.

Titania nodded at him as he passed. The paladin wasn't playing, though that could be attributed to the fact that she shared her console with Rhys. The priest was settled comfortably at her feet, making cooing noises at what was presumably a cute animal on the screen.

Makalov was also engrossed the game, but that was not a surprise. Marcia was chewing him out, which was also unsurprising. Soren did pause when he heard her telling Makalov to “just buy your own console! Oh wait, you can't, because you don't have any money. Hand it over, it's mine!”

Thankfully, none of the laguz were playing, as their dislike of beorc tools extended to electronic devices. Soren sent most of them off to keep watch, as he was certain now would be the most opportune time for an enemy to launch a devastating surprise attack.

For a brief moment, the mage considered unleashing a Thunder in the hopes that it would short-circuit every non-essential device in the camp, but dismissed the idea as being too risky. The danger of losing communication so near to their next battle outweighed the danger of the army being a bit rusty because they skipped out on morning routines.

Soren reached Ike's tent, which really wasn't too far away from his own. The mage was simply unable to take a straight route without stepping on or over a defenseless mercenary. The idea was tempting, however.

“Ike?” Soren asked, waiting a few seconds before letting himself in. The general was sitting on the floor by his bed, looking over the plans Soren had dropped off some hour or two before the sun rose. For all the convenience laptops and word processors offered, Soren preferred to pen these things out by hand. Even the best security measures could be bypassed. Volke was proof of that.

“Soren! Can I help you?” Ike asked.

“I need you to tell everyone to get to work,” Soren announced, closing the tent flap behind him.

Ike rose from the floor and folded the battle plans up. “Any reason they won't listen to you?” Soren raised an eyebrow. “I mean, sometimes they do,” Ike said, lifting his hands in his defense.

“They're all playing a new video game that was released last night. Aimee must have sneaked into town to pick up their preorders. I don't believe anything I do short of casting Arcthunder will tear them away. Therefore, it is up to you,” Soren explained. Ike nodded and moved to the exit with the smaller mage following close behind.

“Hm, yeah, I heard about that. Mist was playing it this morning. Actually...” a note of thoughtfulness entered Ike's voice. Soren felt his blood run cold. “It seems kind of interesting. I might get it myself.”

The mage twitched involuntarily. Ike carried on, either completely oblivious to his friend's emotional plight or just a very, very good actor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The game was Pokemon. Rhys just discovered Pokemon Amie


	2. Speed Limit (Rhys, Kieran)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movement penalties for mounted units.

The mercenaries fought their way slowly through tangled branches and overgrown bushes. Those on foot had an easier time than the cavalry that couldn't soar quickly over the troublesome forest. Rhys winced at the sound of an engine suddenly booming through the trees, which was quickly followed by the sound of a crash and the sounds of tree branches bouncing off metal. It seemed the cavalry on mechanical mounts were having an even worse time than their comrades on horseback.

The priest moved back through the forest as quickly as it would let him, letting the worried shouts and (louder) shouts of reassurance guide him to the red-clad knight and his trapped motorcycle.

“Ah! Kieran, you should know better than to force your way through a forest like this,” Rhys tutted, his worry dissipating slightly after taking a quick look at the knight's injuries. The worst of it was a cut on his forehead from a falling branch. Still, an injury was an injury. “You've hurt yourself.”

“Haha! This? This is nothing! Rhys, were you not there when I took on _three_ myrmidons at once- of course you were, for had you not been there I would have suffered a grave wound to-”

“Y-yes, yes, I was there, I remember. And, ah, you did suffer that wound, if I recall, I only healed it, I-”

“You see!” Kieran exclaimed in triumph. “I have dealt with worse. The dangers of riding through a forest at seventy miles an hour is  _nothing_ in comparison to the time that I-” 

“No need to remind me of your great deeds, I haven't forgotten,” Rhys interjected, holding out a simple heal staff for the knight's head wound. The gem glowed softly until the cut shrank away, leaving no indication that it had ever been there. Satisfied, the priest pulled his staff back and looked over the crash site. “There isn't much I can do with your motorcycle right now,” Rhys said. “Aimee had a repair staff in her shop, I think, so I'll put in a request with Soren for that, but, well, for now...” he trailed off, pouting at the flashy red vehicle lying tangled in vines. “I think you'll have to spend the rest of this leg on foot.” The priest stowed the heal staff away and produced a warp staff from somewhere within his robes. He had too many in there. Kieran didn't know how they all fit.

“Very well! That will be no problem at all. After all, walking is nothing compared to...” Stories of the knights various feats provided background noise as Rhys warped the vehicle back to their convoy. He had written a short note apologizing for the sudden extra weight it would add, but there really wasn't any time to waste trying to repair it now. Reality around the motorcycle seemed to fold in before Kieran's mount vanished with a soft glow.

The knight clapped his hands in approval. “Now! We march!” With this, Kieran leaped out of the small clearing and began pushing through the vines almost as effectively as his motorcycle.

“Ah! Wait! Please be careful! Oh...” Rhys looked back at the narrow path that the vehicle had cleared. The cavalry would have an easier time now, at least. He switched his warp staff out for his heal staff and rushed after the knight at a slightly slower and more careful pace.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On one hand, someone could have been a mechanic. On the other hand, my favorite priest could have staves that heal motorcycles. Someone also seems to have give Rhys the cheat codes that got him the warp staff.


End file.
